Training
Jayden apparently took training very seriously. Even though Harry was only eight, the older man still acted like he was training a fully grown man.
He made Harry run a mile straight around a local park without water. While that wouldn’t be so bad in later years, he was sweating so much he could fill a whole swimming pool with it.
After that, (and a much needed shower) they ate a nice breakfast consisting of pancakes (Harry devoured them with some syrup), blueberry scones, banana muffins, and bacon.
Harry got a schedule after that, written with the strange yellowing paper he now knew was called parchment. It read as follows:
6:00-6:20~ mile run
6:20-6:35~ shower
6:35-7:15~ breakfast
7:15-9:30~ reading
9:30-11:50~ potions/transfiguration/charms/ancient runes (depending on the day)
11:50-12:30~ lunch
12:30-13:30~ break
13:30-14:20~ herb identification & survival course
14:20-15:30~ spell casting & dueling
15:30-16:40~ physical education
16:40-17:20~ being a thief 101
17:20-19:00~ wandless and soundless magic
19:00-19:45~ dinner/etiquette
19:45-20:30~ rights and customs of magical beings
20:30-22:30~ break
22:30-5:45~ sleep
It was a bit (a lot) busy, but it would work. More things would be added as he grew, such as MORE running, Occlumency, Legilimency, Apparition, and control of accidental magic, to name a few.
Harry didn’t want to think about that.
“Good job on the running!” Jayden chirped happily from the wooden dining
table as Harry took out a random book from the shelf.
A Beginner’s Guide to Potions, the book read. As the subject seemed interesting to Harry, he curled up on a red, overstuffed armchair with it and started to read it furiously.
“Are you trying to murder the book with your eyes?” Jayden blinked at him. Harry then realized that he had been fully focused on the book for an hour, and he was almost done with it.
“It was interesting!” Harry defended. He got an amused chuckle in response.
The book was finished five minutes after that. It was replaced by another book about potions instantly. As it was a bit harder to understand, and made for second years, he was only 3/4 done with it the remaining hour and ten minutes of reading time. Harry marked his page and sighed.
Jayden huffed. “Well, since you’re so interested in potions, get A Beginner’s Guide to Potions back out. We’re starting with that today.” Harry cheered happily.
The older of the two produced a black cauldron, a big wooden spoon, a set of knives, the book Harry had already finished, and odd looking lumps Harry assumed were ‘potion ingredients’. They repurposed the dining table to be their potions lab.
Potions was really interesting, to be honest. Harry didn’t get much of the theory at first but Jayden quickly explained that you were supposed to infuse the ingredients with your own magic to get the best results.
“Is that the stuff I keep feeling in the air?” Harry asked innocently.
Jayden frowned. “What do you mean?” he questioned.
“It’s nothing, really,” Harry admitted. “I just keep feeling this warm feeling in the air, moving around like it’s spinning and alive. Is it magic? Or is it not? I feel it in ‘Muggles’ too.”
Jayden blinked at him. “That’s… not normal, Harry. I’m not saying it bad, or anything, but people don’t feel magic. It’s impossible, especially in muggles.”
“What else could it be, then?” Harry questioned. Jayden just shrugged, and that was the end of that conversation. They went on with the potions lesson, Jayden explaining carefully why ingredients were added and how many times to stir it a certain way because of a certain reason.
They marked out a lot of the directions in the book, simply because their method was more efficient and successful. In the two hours and some minutes they had, Harry had made a boil-curing potion and a hair-growing potion.
They didn’t test out the boil-curing potion because obvious reasons, but Harry tried the hair-growing one and his hair grew by six inches! Harry really liked it, so they kept the hair. He was starting to actually believe in magic now.
“I’m glad to know that you’re so interested in potions,” Jayden admitted. “The Potters were, arguably, one of the best potion maker families to grace this country. They made several important potions and remedies that are still best-selling to this day.”
“Really?” Harry asked in awe. At Jayden’s affirming nod, he exploded with joy. “That is so cool! I want to open a potions shop of my own one day!”
“If you want, we can make some more potions as part of your lesson tomorrow,” Jayden offered.
“But, we don’t have any more electives that involve potions,” Harry protested.
Jayden smirked, “That’s what you think. Where do you think the ingredients come from? The air? We can collect some ingredients today in your herbs lesson, and then tomorrow we can brew a potion with them without anything not already outside. I was running out of a few things anyways.”
And with that, they went to lunch. The table still smelt suspiciously like potion ingredients, but the smell of the food canceled it out real quick. Said food was something Jayden called a taco. Harry didn’t know what it was because the Dursleys didn’t allow anything outside of Europe into their home. Since tacos were mainly Mexican, they were considered contraband.
Harry only liked beef, cheese, olives, and some weird reddish sauce on his. Jayden proclaimed that he was weird and added everything that Harry had, but including lettuce, avocados, tomatoes, onions, and much more.
Harry quite liked his taco. But soon, tragedy struck, in the form of his taco all being devoured. Jayden chuckled and promised they could have tacos for lunch again tomorrow.
So with that, the younger of the duo went back to the dusky, old, rotting, moldy, bending, squeaky shelves that held his precious books and started reading on transfiguration. The reason for this was simple. Jayden said they would work on it tomorrow, and then they would move on to charm work on their third day.
Harry would absolutely not be missing the chance to read on certain things, so he made a plan to reading on transfiguration this break and charms the next.
The break was over too early, and soon they were heading back to the local (but still very large) park were Harry had ran earlier.
As Jayden promised, they went on to collect many magical ingredients for future potions tomorrow. The duo were just finished gathering the fifth item on their rather short list when Jayden heard suspicious hissing coming from behind a tree.
“Absolutely not!” He yelled as he ran off. Harry snorted in amusement.
“It’s just a snake, Jayden! Come back!” The mentioned being yelled bloody murder when he heard his companion’s voice.
“Ssstupid little human,” something behind Harry hissed. “Why do they alwaysss run away firssst and asssk quesstionss later?”
“Hello?” Harry said, turning around to face the snake.
The snake, which Harry just knew was a female, was a beautiful dark green color. Her pretty scales sparkled in the light, and the snake’s grey eyes looked at him in shock.
“A ssspeaker?” she questioned. “It’sss a great honor to meet you, hatchling.”
Harry blinked in surprise. “Uh, what’sss your name?” he asked.
“Saphira,” the beautiful snake answered. “What isss your name, ssspeaker?”
“Harry!” Jayden shouted. “What the crap are you doing?”
“I’m just talking to Saphira!” Harry answered truthfully.
Harry could see Jayden’s frown from 100 yards away. “You can’t talk to snakes. It’s impossible.”
“Sssayss you, you fucking dimwitted hazard to-” Saphira began.
“Saphira,” Harry began to scold. She looked down and quieted immediately. Jayden watched all of this with a strange gleam in his eye.
“So,” the oldest of the trio started, “You’re a parselmouth.” Saphira nodded in agreement.
“I’m gonna assume that means I can talk to snakes.” Harry assumed.
“Precisely.” Jayden answered. “There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it’s very uncommon and it’s seen as a dark ability. Most wizards that have it go bad.”
“Oh,” Harry shifted gloomily. “I guess I’m a bad wizard, then.”
Jayden frowned, walking towards the duo. Saphira quickly crawled up Harry until she was on his shoulders, wrapping around his neck protectively.
“You’re not a bad wizard.” Jayden stated firmly as he reached them. “I said most wizards, and let me tell you, you are not most wizards”
“Really?” Harry weakly asked. Jayden nodded in agreement instantly. “Really.”
Harry brightened. With that, the three of them walked back to the (very old and very much not safe but somehow looks okay inside) house.
“Since you don’t have a wand,” Jayden started, “We’ll go to Diagon Alley today to get a practice one.”
Harry grinned, and they were off.